Pages

27 Oct 2013

Mamita
Que Chorizo is a gem of a sandwich restaurant newly opened at the quieter end
of Rivington Street in Shoreditch. Currently running as a BYOB pop-up
restaurant, it is only open Thursdays to Saturdays, and is temporarily housed
inside a Turkish kebab shop operating during the daylight hours. We visited
Mamita Que Chorizo on a Thursday evening after work, and upon arrival we were
immediately greeted with friendly smiles and a very warm welcome indeed. In all
honesty, we were quite surprised when we arrived, as we did not expect it to be
housed within a Turkish kebab shop and were briefly turned off by the kebab
pictures mounted on the glass front; a momentary lapse in judgment, because
what was to follow was pure delight. We started off our meal by sampling the
empanadas, which are deep fried stuffed pastries from South America. We tried
two versions of these; one was stuffed with minced meat and the other with
cheese. Both were perfectly deep fried and succulent and very fresh (a bit too
hot in the first couple of bites; so take your time eating them!) Out of the
two our favorite had to be the one stuffed with cheese as it just melted in our
mouths and made us excited to try what was coming next. And what came next was
nothing short of heavenly: the steak sandwich, apparently their specialty and
most popular dish. The steak was perfectly cooked and came served with roasted
peppers, mustard, and wild rocket; it was simple enough to be the perfectly
delicious sandwich, and exceptionally rich in flavor and texture. Another
delight was their vegetarian mushroom sandwich, which at first we were quite
skeptical about; being a vegetarian sandwich and just having eaten amazing
meat. After our first bite of the sandwich all of our reservations were put to
sleep. This sandwich is unbelievably delicious and creamy, oozing with so many
flavors. Stuffed with goat’s cheese, it comes served in a bun with rocket,
parsley, lemon juice and a chimi-churri sauce. If only all vegetarian
sandwiches tasted this good! Their eponymous Chorizo sandwich is quite unusual,
as the sausage is a mixture or beef and pork, giving it an interesting texture
and a pale colour. The skin at times difficult to chew over, but the special
flavour of this meat more than made up for it. The end of our meal left us
stuffed, with the cheesiest smiles cemented on our faces. We were so full that
we had to cancel the pulled pork and ox tongue sandwiches, and instead come
back to try these some other time. This is good quality food; unpretentious and
full of love. Mamita Que Chorizo is a place with lots of passion, and this is
evident in the quality of the food and the caring attention of its wonderful
staff. If you haven’t tried it, do so and you will not regret it (a food grid
promise).

22 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DY

We were invited to review Mamita que Chorizo, and the opinions expressed are our own.

21 Oct 2013

Buddakan is a staple Asian fusion restaurant in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The last time I went I was very last minute with my bookings and only got a late night table. I don’t mind though, as the restaurant almost has a nightclub vibe, and the place probably works best in the evenings. The huge restaurant covers two floors, with high ceilings and a grand communal table in the centre downstairs. Candelabras and gilded books decorate the spaces, with patterned screens in the upstairs dining areas. Buddakan draws a fashionable crowd, and was the site for Carrie and Mr. Big's rehearsal dinner in the Sex and the City film. I showed up in dirty converse and soaked clothes from the rain, so I was very casual compared to the girls in dresses and heels. I arrived straight from a dinner at Ippudo, so I was not very hungry. We only had dim sum, which I might have preferred either way. The main courses at Buddakan are very good, but not too dissimilar from dishes in your average China Town restaurant. Their brilliant small dishes are what really stand out. The steamed truffled edamame dumplings are an absolute must. They have such a creamy and filling texture. One day I want to go there and just order five portions of those. We also tried a range of shellfish and pork dim sum dishes. Another impressive dish was the hirata buns with glazed pork belly. I am quite picky with pork, as sometimes it has a flavour that I really don’t like. Buddakan executed it perfectly though, and I would urge people to try it if you visit. We asked the waiter to recommend one thing, and he suggested the Tuna Tartare Spring Roll. This was actually my least favourite dish, and we didn’t finish it. Buddakan is quite upscale and might seem a bit pretentious, but the prices are not bad considering the standard of the food. I would definitely go back, though I'd try to be more appropriately dressed for the occasion than I was this time.

15 Oct 2013

With one Michelin Star, Pollen Street
Social is the brainchild of Jason Atherton, a Gordon Ramsay veteran and quite
interestingly the first Brit to cook at the former El Buli. Since its inception
in 2011, Pollen Street Social has steadily been one of the hottest and
trendiest spots in London, if not Europe, attracting food connoisseurs through
its glass doors located off the cosy and charming Pollen Street in the heart of
Mayfair. I visited Pollen Street Social on a Thursday evening, and when I
stepped into the restaurant I was instantly greeted by the very friendly
maître-d who quickly showed me to the bar as I waited for the rest of my party
to arrive. The drinks menu is extensive, varied and mouthwatering; the Fizzy
Pink Lemonade is what caught my attention. Presented on the menu as a
non-alcoholic cocktail, the waiter jazzed it up with three types of rum. The
drink was delicious although a bit too heavy on the rum that disguised the pink
grapefruit, and grape flavours of the lemonade. Once my party arrived, we were
promptly escorted to our table in the adjacent dining room. The layout and
interior of the restaurant is in fact quite simple, where the restaurant is
split into two separate rooms. The main dining room features the iconic dessert
bar, which allows diners to watch the pastry chefs prepare the desserts; it’s
quite the spectacle! Once seated, we rushed to look at the menu, as we were very
hangry. To start with, I ordered the Orkney Sea Scallop Carpaccio served with
frozen pink grapefruit, lemon skin puree and black olives. My friends ordered
the Irish deer tartare which comes served smoked beetroot. Both options were
delicious; the sea scallop carpaccio was sheer perfection with a unique flavour
and texture, and the deer tartare was rich and decadent.

For my main I ordered the rack of lamb
with a tomato chutney and artichokes. My friend ordered the sea bass with
parsley mousseline (essentially a foamed texture of parsley) that is served
with cockles and winkles; which sound disgusting but they are actually really
delicious little clams and snails. The lamb was delectable. It was perfectly
cooked to medium and it melted in my mouth. My only complaint would be that
there was not enough of it, in fact for the price tag of £40 a plate, the portion was
extremely small and left me quite disappointed; unnecessarily pretentious if
you ask me. The sea bass on the other hand was generously portioned and was
divine, the parsley mousseline in particular was nothing like what I’ve tasted
before, the texture and the taste ignited fireworks in my mouth; this is
gastronomy at its finest.

As a conclusion to our delicious meal we
ordered the PBJ: A Peanut Parfait with a cherry yuzu sorbet and nitro peanut
(liquid nitrogen frozen peanut butter ice cream). It was nothing short of
heavenly. We also ordered the chocolate ganache with banana ice cream, which
was not as good as the PBJ but was nevertheless yummy. Pollen Street Social is
definitely a destination for any true foodie. My visit left me very happy and
satisfied and it comes as no surprise that it’s one of the most sought after
dining destinations in London.

11 Oct 2013

London
has recently been drowning in an overflow of new burger places. They are
popping up on a weekly basis, and each one seems to be the ‘newest’ and
‘hottest’ burger in town. This week we introduce you to Bleecker Street Burger,
which isn’t a newcomer as it established itself right around the 2012 Olympics,
but it has now developed a new cult following amongst many Londoners in the
know. Not a restaurant but a burger van, Bleecker Street Burger moves around
London during the week spreading its deliciousness across the capital. Bleecker
Street Burger is a black van serving simple American ‘New York’ style greasy
burgers. You have the options of the cheeseburger, the double cheeseburger and
the blue cheeseburger, which is naturally served with blue cheese. On my latest
lunchtime visit to Bleecker Street Burger, where it was parked on the ‘Kerb’ by Kings Cross St
Pancras, I opted for the double cheeseburger with French fries. The double
cheese burger is cooked medium rare and comes served in a glazed sesame bun
with American cheese and nothing else; no disguises. The burger was delicious,
the meat was phenomenal and the overall experience was nothing short of
explosive. The meat literally melted in my mouth, and the bun was flawlessly
toasted and crispy; it was an amazing burger, and an incredibly generous
portion. The hand cut fries were also good but did not live up to the quality
of the main dish. My only complaint about the burger is that I would have
preferred it to be slightly more cooked, although it did not bother me so much.
Bleecker Street Burger is highly recommended and I urge you all to log onto
their website and try to catch them at a London location near you; it’s
definitely worth travelling to and will not leave you disappointed.

7 Oct 2013

The first stop I made after landing at LAX was at the nearest In-N-Out Burgers. This West Coast staple serves fast food burgers that seem to be appreciated by all sorts of different people. Even chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Julia Child have showed their love for it. The recognisable red parasols draw you in, but the interior itself is not great. The harsh lighting gave me a clinical feel. Nevertheless I was very excited to be there, and ran to the counter to place my order. I had a Cheeseburger and French Fries, and tried some of the free pickled chilies. The burger was a timeless classic; just what I have in mind when I picture a proper American burger. The texture of the cheese is just right, the meat tastes fresh and the amount of vegetables is ideal. Their burger is a lot more aesthetically pleasing than that of Five Guys, although not as pristine as Shake Shack. The top of the bun kind of breaks apart though, so it doesn’t look as great after a few bites. The bread does its job well, in that it does not get soaked. The fries were not great, and could be crispier. The cheeseburger at In-N-Out is close to being the perfect fast food burger. As I am writing this I'm getting a serious craving for it, so I hope they will open a branch in London soon.

2 Oct 2013

Lucky 7 is an American style diner in Notting Hill. I went there after having spent a few hours at the nearby Westbourne Pub. We were starting to get hungry and initially tried to get a table at The Oak. It was full, so we went to Lucky Seven, which only had a couple of customers. My first impression was a good one; I loved the nostalgic McDonald’s characters mounted on the walls, and the small leather booths. The service was really bad though. The waiter did nothing to help us choose between their various burgers and hot dogs, and he walked into my friend with so much force that his watch actually got knocked off, without apologising. As I didn’t get any recommendations from the waiter, I decided to go for the safe choice of a Cheeseburger. I liked the classic and simple garnish of onions, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. The meat patty was not memorable, and there was a bit too much bread. The fries and coleslaw was of a good standard, and I liked the light and fluffy texture of the milkshake. Overall it was nothing more than an ok meal, so I am glad I didn’t make a trip especially to go there. It's the kind of place that is surviving only because of the lack of competition in its area. If it was located in Soho or East London, they would need to step up their game.